Ladder



(No Model.) 2 Siloam-Sheet; 1.

J. s." TI`LLBY- LADDER.

No. 355,574. Patented Jan. 4, 188.'.7.

L EL EL EL 2.2L

wlTNEssEs;

2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

J. s. TILLE-Y.

LADDER.

Patented Jan. 4, 1887.

NiTED STATES PATENT EETCE..

JOHN s. TILLEY, OE WEST TROY, NEW YORK'.

LADDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,574, dated''anuary4, 1887.

Application filed July 14, 1886. Serial o. 208,042. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. TILLEY, ofthe village of Vest Troy, countyof Albany, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Ladders, of which the following is a specication.

. My invention relates to ladders and an improved means for connectingsections or lengths of the latter, as well as an applied means tostrengthen the connection made between the rounds and the ladder-sides,and also to adapt long lengths of a ladder to be run up against thesideof a building with ease.

Accompanying this specification, to form a part of it, there are twoplates of drawings, containing twelve gures, illustrating my invention,with the same designation of parts by letter reference used in all ofthem.

Of these illustrations, Figure l shows a perspective-of a ladder-lengthwith its upper end adapted to connect wit-h another ladder-length bymeans of my invention. Fig. 2 shows a ladder-length with its lower endadapted to connect with the upper end ofthe ladder-length shown at Fig.l. Fig. 3 shows the ladderlengths illustrated at Figs. l and 2 asconnected. Fig. 4 shows the application to the slotted upper ends ofladder-sides of rollers mounted on a shaft, with the latter arranged inthe oppositely-placed slotted ends of the ladder-sides, and the samemechanism thatis shown at Fig. 3 as securing the connected ends oftheladderlengths in this figure shown as retaining the rollers and shaftiii-.position withinthe slots. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of themechanism shown at Fig. 4. Fig. Gis aperspective of a ferrule used onthe top round of a ladder connecting length. Fig. 7 is a perspectiveofpa ferrule used on the bottom round of a connecting ladder-length.Fig. 8 is a longitudinal vertical section of the top round and ferruleof a connecting ladder-length, and Fig. 9 is a longitudinal verticalsection of thelower round and ferrule of a connecting ladder length, theparts illust-rated atFigs. G, 7, 8, and 9 being shown in a larger sizeand proportion than the same parts are illustrated in Figs. l, 2, and 3.Fig. l0 shows a scaffolding or stepladder produced from twoladder-lengths containing my invention, and a cross-brace appliedthereto, constructed to connect the ends of said brace with the oppositerounds of two ladder-lengths by a modification of the means shown atFigs. l, 2, and 3, used to connect two ladder-lengths. Fig. 11 shows aperspective ot' the modification shown at Fig. l0. Fig. 12

shows a side view of the parts as connected at ladder-length.

The letter R2 indicates the upper round of the lower ladder-length, andR3 the lower round of the upper connecting ladder-length.

The lower round, R3, of the upper ladderlength is made with a metalferrule, F,` which enciroles the round at each end and is driven with itinto and from the inner and opposite sides of the ladder part thereat.`This ferrule F is made with a collar, C', near each of its ends, andeach of which collars is at a sufficient distance from the adjacent sideof the ladder to admit of the passage between it (the collar) and theladder-side of one of the ends of the lower connecting ladder-length, sothat the latter at each side will be kept in place between one of thesaid collars and the outer ladder side thereat.

The upper round,R2,of the connecting lower ladder-length is-made with ametal ferrule, F2,

that is driven onto the end of said round R3 g where oppositelyprojecting beyond each of the ladder-sides thereat. This ferrule F2 isalso provided with acollar, O2, on each of its outer ends, there beingsufficient distance between each of the said collarsand the ladder outersides thereat for the passage between said collars and the latter of thedownwardlyprojected lower ends of the upper connecting ladder-length.

The letters P designate securing-plates, one of which is made toattachto the inner and opposite sides of the lower ladder-length, and

IOO

the other to attach to each of the lower ends and outer sides of theupper ladder-length. Each of these plates P has a slot, m, madecentrally therein, the sides of which slot are arranged coincidentlywith the slotin the connecting ends of the sides of the ladder-lengthswhere these plates are attached to the latter. These plates P each haveeyes e c, and are provided with a cotterpin, 195, adapted to be insertedwithin said eyes, as shown at Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and l2. The function ofthese plates Pis to secure the connecting lengths of the ladder togetherand to give additional strength to the connection. y

In the modification of the plate P shown at Figs. 10 and ll alatch-plate, hinged at h, is used with the Cotter-pin end e2 of saidlatch, constructed to drop in between the eyes e e3, so that theCotter-pin p5 may be passed in through the eyes e3 e3 and theintermediate eye, e", on the hinged latch-plate 193.

The ladder-lengths U and O thus made are connected as follows: The lowerend of the upper ladder-length, U, is passed down outside of the upperend of the lower ladderlength, so that the slots S2 in the ends thereofpass around the projected ends of the round or rung R2, with the ends ofthe upper ladderlength thereat held between the collar C2 and the sidesof the lower ladder-length, where the Cotter-pin p5 is passed throughthe eye e of the plate P below where the slots embrace the ferrule,andthe upper end of the lower ladderlength is passed between the lowerends of the upperlength, with the slots in the end of the lower lengthembracing the round R2 of the lower length betweeen the sides of thelatter and the collar C2 on ferrule F2 on the round R2.

Where the slotted ends of ladders have by their lapping sides been madeto grasp the upper round of the one and the lower round of the other,and a Cotter-pin was inserted in a hole bored in the ends of the sidesof each outside of the slots, the connection was not desirable from thefact that slotting the ends weakens the hold of the sides upon eachother and renders them liable to split under strain, and the making of ahole in the sides below the slot to receive the cotter-'pinA stillfurther weakened the wood thereat. A

By myimprovexnentin using the platesP the slotted end of the` ladder isprevented from splitting when under strain and is materiallystrengthened, and .I dispense with the hole made in the wood to securethe Cotter-pin.

The letters B designate braces. These braces connect with the rung orround at b and Vwith the laddersides at b, and the function of thesebraces is to prevent the ladder from becoming shaky by a loosening ofthe connection between the rounds and sides.

The letters D designate rollers mounted on a shaft, d, the latter beingof such size that it may be inserted within the slots made inthe ends ofthe upper length and be secured therein by plates P at the sides, andthe function of these rollers and shaft is that when a ladder is beingraised the upper end of the latter can be moved up on the lrollers, thevlatter and their shaft turning in the slots at the ends of theladder-sides to facilitate the operation.

Vhile I prefer to make the rounds R2 R3 of the ladders with metallicferrules to give durability to them, yet the plate P may be used inconnection with the rounds R'l and R, made without said ferrnles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent,

l. The combination,with twoladder-lengths, each having slots in the endsof their sides adapted to receive, when lapped thereat, one of therounds of the other ladder-length, of the plate P, made to receive aCotter-pin and constructedfto attach to each of the ladderlengths,substantially in the manner as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the ladder-length U, made with the side slots, S2S2, in its lowerend, and the round R3, having the ferrule F', theladder-length O, made with the round R2, having the ferrnle F2, and sideslots, S S', in its upper end, and the plates P, made with cotterl pinsp5, and adapted to attach to the ladderlengths and be operatedsubstantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of the ladder-length U, made with the slot S2 in eachof its sides at the upper end, and the roller D, having a shaft, cl,adapted to turn in said slots, and the plate P, provided with a cotterpin and adapted to attach to the ladder-sides, as shown and de scribed.

Signed at Troy, New York, this 3d day of July, 1886, and in the presenceof the two witnesses whose names are hereto written.

. JNO. S. TILLEY.

Witnesses:

CHARLEs S. BRINTNALL, W. E. HAGAN.

